Joan Ferguson (Wentworth)
Joan Ferguson is the former Governor of Wentworth Correctional Centre. She is extremely manipulative and psychopathic, and holds personal vendetta's with Bea Smith and Will Jackson. She serves as the primary antagonist of Season 2, Season 3, Season 4 and Season 5. "The Freak" Joan Ferguson 2014 Sneak Peak After episode 10 "Checkmate" the Season 1 final of Wentworth, a short sneak peak promo aired for Season 2. In the video someone (speculated to be Joan Ferguson) is shown putting a single black glove on, a huge hint and nod to the original Prisoner character "The Freak" Joan Ferguson. Past Ferguson was born in Russia in 1964. It is unknown how she got to Australia, or much of her past other than she grew up in a frustrating relationship with her father, who would continuously push her to succeed. However, she would find peace in classical music that her father would listen to, this music is heard playing in her home and her office; especially when she is stressed. Older, Ferguson became a correctional officer and eventually found work at Blackmoor prison where she met Jianna, a pregnant inmate who she grew feelings for and it is rumoured they had a relationship. When Jianna's son was taken away by Will Jackson, she was soon lynched by the prisoners due to her relationship with Ferguson, who was under the influence Jianna killed herself. After this, Ferguson took her revenge out on the prisoners and began a streak of 'fixing' prisons of drugs and criminality, earning her the title "The Fixer." Personality Joan is apathetic and extremely manipulative in order to get what she wants. She is willing to go draconian lengths to serve her agenda, even if it means putting herself in harms way. Joan is clinically insane and suffers from hallucinations of her deceased father. It is also suggested she may have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder given her need to keep everything around her in order and clean, such as her pencils on her desk, and her intolerance of foreign objects on her desk that may carry germs. Ferguson is seen exhibiting these compulsive behaviours variously throughout the series. She is a cold and calculating woman; highly intelligent with a wide vocabulary and professionalism among the staff and prisoners. Ferguson is ruthless with herself and other lives in order to serve her agenda. She is apathetic to others, especially prisoners, and is not above torturing or killing people such as Jodie Spiteri, who she severely agonized in order to get her to harm Bea Smith to blemish Smith's hold of the women. Ferguson even used herself to seduce her psychologist into sleeping with her so she could blackmail him into having her processed out of the psychiatric hospital. Ferguson was then ganged by Juice and her crew (thinking Bea Smith would attack her) and used the assault to blame Will Jackson. She manipulates nearly everyone she meets, her only goal is to succeed and watch her enemies suffer. Ferguson has shown rarely that she is capable of feeling emotions such as infatuation, sadness, anger, and embarrassment, excluding her from being diagnosed a sociopath. Her feelings for Jianna Riley that still linger after her death, and her desire to be part of Shayne Butler's (Jianna's son) life. When she grows an infatuation with Doreen due to her uncanny similarities to Jianna, Ferguson begins rewarding Doreen to have these feelings reciprocated. She experiences heartbreak when Doreen is overheard making fun of her, and lashes out in anger when in private. Ferguson also saves Doreen's baby from Jess Warner revealing that she may have a moral code to sustain. Lastly, Ferguson can experience fear, such as knowing to some degree she lacks empathy and is scared she may need help. She also is afraid of her father, and Bea Smith's power. Seasons Season 2 Trailer In the first Season 2 trailer we learn that Joan Ferguson will be making her debut in the Wentworth series. Joan talks over the trailer and we see talking to the officers, all of whom are accounted for but the governor Erica Davidson. Joan is shown kicking over a basket and then Franky says "Who are you?". The camera cuts to Joan in another room where she is looking at the camera, she continues to speak and says, "My name is miss Ferguson, but you can call me Governor." Season 2 In Season Two Joan Ferguson replaces Erica Davidson as Governor and starts a garden project with women and gets men from another prison. Eventually the Garden Project ends because one of the male prisoners tries to rape Franky Doyle and Vera Bennett finds the drop box in the Garden shed. She first appeared in the first episode of season 2. She kills Simone Slater. She first gets called 'the Freak' in the last episode of season 2. Season 3 In the episode Evidence', Joan sends Bea to the Psychiatric Ward after Joan hires a goon to attack her in Wentworth. Bea is apparently in the exercise yard saying that a man who was neither an inmate or a screw attacked her near the boiler room. In the episode Blood and Fire, Joan Ferguson lights Wentworth on fire and gets trapped with Doreen's baby Joshua, Franky and Bea turn around and go looking for Jess and Joshua, they find them in a rubbish area, the ceiling starts collapsing with Bea, Joshua, Franky and Ferguson trapped inside. Bea climbs through the vent while holding Joshua and exits the building. Bea gives Doreen Anderson her baby and then runs back inside to save Franky and Will Jackson runs in after her. Will and Bea manage to push the door open and Bea grabs Franky and tells Will to leave Joan there but Will grabs her and brings her out. The place burns down with Jess inside but everybody else gets out. Season 4 Joan is now in Solitary Confinement. Vera is forced to make the decision whether or not to allow Joan into the general public, although she has concerns that the prisoners will attack Joan and harm her beyond recognition or much kill her. Finally Joan is allowed back into gen pop and the women are out for blood. In 4x04 (Screw Lover) Joan is ganged by Gambaro and her crew. But Joan uses this to her advantage as she gets close to Kaz. Kaz sees Joan as a victim, and soon one of her most trusted friends. They work together to get rid of Bea Smith so that Joan can exact her revenge, unbeknownst to Kaz, as she still sees Joan as a victim, and someone she needs to save. Bea confronts Joan outside the prison as she is being released after falsely telling Vera that she planned to get a confession out of her to be let out into the yard, but instead wants to actually kill her with a chisel to avenge Allie's supposed death. However Joan disarms her, which leads to Bea lunging at her and driving the chisel into her own abdomen. Joan repeatedly stabs her until Will Jackson and other officers arrive, Bea utters 'I win' to a shocked Ferguson, before dying in Will's arms. Season 5 On the last episode of the fifth season of Wentworth, Joan Ferguson knew she was in trouble and needed to escape her death but that's obviously not easy for her since all of the woman now know who she really is. Allie Novak and Franky Doyle were originally going to escape prison, but Allie was caught by officer Jake Stewart. Allie, Jake, and officer Will Jackson planned to finally get rid of Joan for good when Jake and Will allowed Joan to escape the prison with Franky. Joan's freedom was short lived when Will Jackson took Joan's box away and buried her alive. We left season 5 not knowing whether or not Joan would survive and be rescued. Season 6 In episode 6x01, officer Jake Stewart reassures Allie Novak that the Freak is dead, although he has no material proof of it. Ferguson' s prisoner photo shot is shown on newspapers posters around the city together with Franky's one in order to warn people of fugitive prisoners. Throughout season 6, Will Jackson is overwhelmed with guilt and begins to hallucinate Ferguson on multiple occasions. In episode 6x09, Vera, Jake, and a guilty-conscious Will return to the burial site where they dig up the grave. There, it’s revealed as the wood is pulled back up that the corpse of Ferguson remains in the box, confirming her demise. Killed Victims This is the list of victims that Joan has killed: * Simone Slater * Harry Smith * Jessica Warner * Bea Smith * Iman Farah Other Info * Joan Ferguson did not appear in season 1 * Joan is the ex-governor of Wentworth and is now incarcerated there * Joan is a psychopath * It is strongly implicated she has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder * It can be read in a file that she was born in Korsakov, Russia * Regarding Ferguson's sexuality, Pamela Rabe has stated " ... I think, yes, of course she is gay but she’s in this weird denial." The inmates and officers refer to Ferguson and Jianna as having had a relationship on a number of occasions. Joan's infatuation with Doreen (as a reminder of Jianna) alludes to her attraction to other women. * Seeing her home, and the fact she can afford a PI, it is clear Ferguson is wealthy. Ferguson even goes so far as to tell Jake that she has plenty of money, and easily can afford to pay Jake $90,000. * It was never actually revealed if Joan really did die or possibly managed to escape, however it is unlikely Ferguson escaped due to being buried under almost 6 feet under ground. * The corpse shown in episode 6x09 appears to be covered in dirt and possibly decayed. This could mean Ferguson escaped and replaced it with the corpse of another dead person, possibly because it would take at least a year for Ferguson's corpse to decay and also because an unknown figure (possibly Ferguson) takes a picture of the three while wearing black leather gloves. 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